Spare battery holder for those who bought a mobius maxi supercapacitor.

country_hick

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The supercapacitor was shipped in a usb charger case. That case can be modified to become a better spare mobius maxi battery holder capable of holding 2 maybe 3 spare batteries or supercapacitors.

capacitor together.jpg

The first step is to remove the metal usb port and the led light. These unnecessary parts leave openings and limit battery storage space. Once those parts are removed the inside of the case becomes a safer place to store your extra battery or supercapacitor.

The next step is to remove the electric plug in prongs. This can be done by using a flat screwdriver to press the blades out from the inside of the cover or by using pliers to pull the big part of the blades out of the cover. I used both methods.
We now have a big hole where the usb port was, a small round hole for the led light, and 2 slots where the wall plug in was located.

Although epoxy could be used to fill these holes I used abs plastic (scrap shavings left over after modifying a dash cam mount) dissolved in acetone. I got the idea of dissolving abs in acetone here. https://www.matterhackers.com/news/how-to-make-abs-juice-glue-and-slurry
A small amount of acetone is readily obtained by buying a 100% acetone nail polish remover in the cosmetics aisle. Do not use anything except for 100% acetone whether from nail polish remover or other sources. We do not need or want protein or to make our fingernails smell good. We want the chemical that can both dissolve and soften (partially melt) our plastic. A 6 ounce bottle of 100% acetone fingernail polish remover can be bought for around $1. Because acetone evaporates quickly keep your bottle covers tight when not in use. I have filled my abs solution bottle with acetone a few times because it disappears much more rapidly than the abs plastic does.

You want something that is 100% pure acetone like this. https://www.walmart.com/ip/Equate-Beauty-100-Acetone-Nail-Polish-Remover-6-Oz/34238293
You do NOT want something that is non-acetone or "nourishing". It may remove paint from fingernails but it might not dissolve plastic.

I used an empty nail polish container (with a built in brush) that I cleaned with acetone to hold and mix my abs/acetone mix.. I put in small pieces of abs plastic including filed off abs powder along with some acetone. After a few hours or a day the plastic dissolves. I ended up with what looked like black paint. I used the nail polish containers brush to put the melted abs plastic on top of the led hole. 2-4 applications (your mixtures thickness could vary) filled the hole in making it waterproof. The big square slot on the side that had the usb port in it was next. I ripped a piece of light card stock (packaging material, cereal box etc.) to fit inside the case. Holding the paper in place with my Ieft finger I used the brush to fill the hole in with liquefied abs plastic. After several applications the paper held what a few hours later would become solid plastic. After multiple applications of the abs mix with time for drying in between coats the area was built up to almost become a part of the original plastic. A day later after allowing the plastic to solidify I removed the paper from inside the case. Almost no plastic remained stuck to the paper.

The same process was repeated to fill in the slots for the missing blades for plugging into the wall outlet. A few drops of abs mix placed on both sides of the holes several times filled them in well enough to keep out dust and water. I sanded down the rough parts to have a smoother finish. I have some imperfections that show in the finished products repair. I could repeat the process until everything was filled in and cosmetically perfect. This is not a holder meant for show and tell. This is meant to throw in with other things where everything will get bumped around and scratched up with expected wear and tear. I found the top has a tight enough fit to lift up the case with a maxi battery inside by holding onto the cover. If you want to use tape or the screw to ensure the top does not loosen up is your choice.

When shipped mobius includes some plastic foam type packaging. I cut one piece in 2. The original piece that covered the bottom of the case I kept there. The one piece I cut in 2 I used to cover the sides. The one piece left over I just put over the battery. If I had 2 batteries I would probably cut that piece to fit in the cover. Because I only have one battery I wanted to fill in the extra space to eliminate movement during transport.

The end result is almost water resistant The seam between the top cover and the case will likely allow a small amount of water in. This slightly modified case should hold up fairly well against water intrusion if it is accidentally dropped in a mud puddle and quickly recovered. The ends do not create as tight a seal as the sides do. The screw hole and the tabs allow some space for air to flow through. I can not see a way to eliminate the air gaps and maintain the latching function.

This finished product is not perfect. I have some minor raised areas of deposited plastic a few thousandths of an inch thick on the case. Although I could sand it down to look better I do not want to thin out the case to much as that could make it weak and useless.


Here is the end result. A well cushioned case that should protect 1, 2, or maybe 3 mobius maxi batteries or supercapacitors from improper handling including drops and falls. It is small, lightweight, and takes up almost no space.

finished case.jpg
 
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I've been wanting to try the ABS 'slurry' method but haven't had anything needing it yet. Nice that it builds up well instead of just joining solid pieces together (y) Acetone is cheapest when bought in quantity from a paint store. You can get a quart/liter for ~$5, but if you've only got small projects in mind the nail polish remover should be more than enough. I keep some in the workvan for speed-drying oil paints and to remove marks and stains from various surfaces. It is a very strong solvent which evaporates quickly and is highly flammable so be careful in use. The fumes shouldn't be breathed unless you like having brain damage.

Nice to re-purpose the nail polish bottle- that stuff is the world's most expensive paint when sold that way. Buy your wife a gallon of Rustoleum instead :eek::ROFLMAO:

Phil
 
I discovered that waiting until just after the acetone evaporates as shown by a color change that the deposited plastic can be molded a little bit. My results with the plastic I used had the deposit look like the tooth found on sandpaper. I used a fingernail to press on the top of the still soft abs. Only try pressing on already built up or solid plastic. By pressing against the soft plastic it can be pressed into a fairly smooth finish. Using enough pressure can move the plastic to one side where it is needed. Applying to much pressure moved the plastic enough to create a divot that will need to be filled in.

This was my first time using this method. It was slow and tedious work with a lot of waiting for the plastic to dry. The end result is as good as I had hoped it would be.
 
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